


Till Tomorrow

by yukiawison



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Daniel works too much, F/M, Peggy is her usual sweet yet badass self, diner fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-18 08:34:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3563144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukiawison/pseuds/yukiawison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You don't have to prove anything Daniel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Till Tomorrow

Admittedly, it wasn't his brightest idea. He was on his third cup of coffee by noon, sagging over the stack of paperwork Thompson had dumped on him.  
  
Daniel Sousa hadn't really...slept in three days. He was taking extra shifts, doing additional work in the hope of showing Dooley he was worth more than the rest of the office seemed to think. Except Carter of course, she was the only one who treated him as an equal.  
  
The ink was starting to blur on the page and he realized he hadn't eaten anything all day. The caffeine made his fingertips tingle unpleasantly. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Maybe he should get some fresh air. He pushed the file away from himself, and reached for his crutch.  
  
"Going for a walk Daniel?" Carter strode into the room like she owned the place (not that Sousa would be particularly upset if she did,) carrying a stack of what appeared to be more tedious paperwork.  
  
"Trying to," he replied, smiling tiredly.  
  
"Are you alright? You look a bit pale."  
  
"Never better Carter. I'll be back soon." He had taken about three steps past her when he started to feel dizzy. The crutch blurred in front of him and the whole room felt like it was spinning. Next thing he knew he was on the ground, crutch clattering ungracefully beside him.  
  
"Agent Sousa!"  
  
She didn't know what he was thinking. Well she did, she just didn't think he'd be so daft about it. Peggy Carter had pulled her fair share of all-nighters, but three days straight, while on the job no less, was pure insanity.  
  
Luckily the office had been fairly empty. After checking that he was still  breathing, she'd managed to wrap one of his arms around her shoulders, and drag him (minding the leg,) to a spare break room. There she set him down on the couch.  
  
She sighed and put her hands on her hips, staring down at her unconscious colleague critically. Of course he was only trying to impress the chief, to prove something he thought he needed to prove, but it was infuriating. He couldn't just forgo sleep, the idiot.  
  
Peggy took off her jacket and laid it over him, smoothing a piece of hair from his forehead and smiling slightly. He was definitely an idiot but he was a surprisingly peaceful idiot when he was sleeping.  
  
She still had plenty of work to do. Work to be filed, research to conduct, phones to answer, so she left him there, tearing her gaze away from his dark hair and half-smile suggesting he was dreaming of something pleasant.  
  
"Daniel? Daniel wake up," her voice was gentle, worried. He opened his eyes.  
  
"Peggy? Damn did I faint?"  
  
She nodded. "Approximately," she checked her watch. "Six hours ago."  
  
"Six? Holy cow what time is it?" He shot up, almost colliding with Peggy.  
  
"Nearly one," she said. And Daniel realized how close they were.  
  
"Right, sorry. I...Jesus Carter have you been here the whole time?"  
  
"I had work to do Daniel," she smiled, that wide, genuine smile he didn't see often.  
  
"Oh, of course...why didn't someone wake me?"  
  
She narrowed her eyes. "Agent Sousa when was the last time you slept?"  
  
Daniel coughed. "I'm sorry Carter."  
  
"I take it I'd rather not know." She pushed him back onto the couch and put a hand in his forehead.  
  
"What are you...?"  
  
"You don't have a fever. Are you hungry? I know a diner that's still open this time of night."  
  
"I...Carter you don't have to..."  
  
"Well am I taking you home or am I taking you to dinner? I'm not leaving you here Daniel, you're in no shape to get yourself home."  
  
"Dinner then."  
  
"A fine choice agent," she smiled, getting up and smoothing the creases from her skirt. She pulled her jacket off of him and put it back on.  
  
Daniel sat up, eyes still adjusting to the bright lamplight of the room. He groped around for his crutch, and swung his legs off the couch.  
  
"Daniel, do you need any...?"  
  
"I can manage," he breathed, pulling himself up slowly and ungracefully. "I'm normally quite steady on my feet...or foot rather."  
  
Peggy laughed, straightening his tie and jacket collar almost instinctively.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"No problem, shall we?"  
  
***  
  
"Angie could we get two Earlier Riser specials?"  
  
"Two?" Angie Martinelli peeked her head out from the kitchen. "Oh! Two, then English." Peggy smiled and led Daniel to her usual booth.  
  
"Friend of yours?" He asked wearily.  
  
"Ms. Angie Martinelli. She's on her way to Broadway if you ask me."  
  
"Right," Daniel grinned.  
  
"Alright English, here you are," Angie said, setting down her plate. "I took the liberty of including your customary strawberry jam on rye."  
  
"And for Mr..."  
  
"Sousa, Daniel Sousa, he's my colleague Angie."  
  
"Nice to meet you Mr. Sousa."  
  
"It's a pleasure Ms. Martinelli."  
  
"A colleague you say. You've got some pretty late hours huh English?" Angie smirked, looking at Peggy.  
  
"Just," Peggy said through gritted teeth, "A colleague Angie."  
  
"Course Peg, excuse me," she nodded to Daniel. "Enjoy the food."  
  
"I'm sorry about her," Peggy said, flushing a bit. It wasn't as if she would mind if they were more than colleagues, she just didn't like being teased. "She gets these ideas in her head and..."  
  
"It's fine Carter." He picked up his fork and started on the scrambled eggs, hunched over the table slightly, struggling to keep his eyes open, and too hungry to care what Peggy Carter thought of his table manners.  
  
"For the record, you don't have to do that."  
  
He looked up. "I'm sorry?"  
  
"All the extra shifts, going without sleep...you don't need to."  
  
"Carter I..."  
  
"I know why you do it. I just don't think you have to." She looked at him darkly, lips pursed.  
  
"You know as well as I do they don't respect anything I do..."  
  
"That's their problem, not yours."  
  
He shook his head in confusion. "How do you do that?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"You're so confident, and strong, and you take all the shit they throw at you in stride."  
  
"Well I've had practice. That's all it takes," she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "Just practice Agent Sousa."  
  
"Well I guess I've gone and ruined things now, fainting in the middle of the office. Right now even I don't feel as if I've proven I can do something of value," it was kind of hard to breathe with her eyes on him.  
  
"You don't have anything to prove. You were given this job for a reason."  
  
"Right, right...don't have to prove anything. Everyone has to prove something in this rotten business. You can't be weak when there are people out there getting killed. You've got to prove you can do something about it."  
  
She moved the hash browns around on her plate. "You sound like Steve."  
  
"I..." His eyes widened. "Gee Carter I didn't mean to..."  
  
"No, it's just...he was always trying to prove himself at the beginning of the war. This little, asthmatic, tooth pick of a man who knew he could do all this good. He thought he had something to prove, but it was already there. He just needed people who could see it." She looked up at him.  
  
"I see it Daniel. If they can't, they're even bigger idiots than I thought they were."  
  
Daniel could feel his face heating up.  
  
She surveyed his face. "Of course that might not mean much, coming from me. We _are_ in the same boat I suppose."  
  
"No, no it means a lot, thank you," His hair was falling into his face but he didn't seem to notice. The top button of his rumpled sweater vest had come undone, and he carried himself with a relaxed posture Peggy didn't see at the SSR. Despite his tired eyes and weary limbs, he always put on a front on the job, sitting up straight and working without rest. Thompson didn't do that...no one did, but that was Daniel, going above and beyond because he felt he had to. "I won't do it again."  
  
"Good. I was worried."  
  
"About me?" He asked gently, eyes softening.  
  
"Yes Daniel, about you," she said, irritated, but the kind sentiment was still there.  
  
They sat there, staring at each other for a moment, like each of them had something to say, but neither knew how to begin.  
  
"Carter I wanted to..."  
  
"All done here?" Angie interrupted brightly.  
  
"Yes thank you Angie. It was lovely."  
  
"Swell, my shift's nearly done. Wanna share a cab?"  
  
"I was going to make sure Daniel got home..."  
  
"Don't worry about me Carter. I can get home alright."  
  
"Okay Angie, the check please?"  
  
"Certainly," she said, smiling at Daniel. "Glad to know you Mr. Colleague."  
  
"What were you saying?"  
  
"Oh, right," his courage seemed to have dissipated. He knew it was a long shot, that Peggy Carter didn't need a man, and even if she wanted one she could do better than him. Krzeminski's words echoed in his head every time he looked at her. He was right; who would trade a red white and blue shield for an aluminum crutch?  
  
"What is it Daniel?"  
  
"I," he cleared his throat. _You're a government agent dammit, you can ask a woman out._  
  
"Would you like to go to dinner with me?"  
  
Peggy smirked, looking around at the nearly empty diner. "I thought that was what we were doing?"  
  
He shook his head. "Right, I meant, Agent Carter..."  
  
"Peggy."  
  
"Peggy, I like you. You're smart and kind and beautiful, and I'm sure you've gotten plenty of offers from men who aren't missing a leg and 72 hours of sleep, but..."  
  
"Of course, Daniel."  
  
His eyes widened. "Of course?"  
  
She laughed. "Of course I'll have dinner with you Daniel. I had an idea you felt the same about me as I do of you."  
  
"The same way?" He felt a bit like a parrot.  
  
"I like you too Daniel," she said easily, reaching for the paper someone had left on the table. He half expected her to whisper, as if it were a secret. "A movie perhaps?" She circled movie times with her finger.  
  
She looked up at him. "Are you alright Agent Sousa?"  
  
"Fine, great, I just didn't expect you to say yes."  
  
She smiled, rather sadly. "I better check on Angie."  
  
***  
  
"So that's the guy? He's a real looker English."  
  
"He asked me out."  
  
Angie punched her on the shoulder. "Way to go English. Oh look at you! You're blushing."  
  
"I like him, and I haven't liked someone this way since..."  
  
"The war?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Well I think it's great that you're opening up."  
  
"Me too."  
  
She pulled off her apron. "Get back out there. I'll finish up in here."  
  
"Are you sure you don't need any help?"  
  
"Course not Peg, go get him."  
  
***

  
"Angie is still collecting her things. I'll walk you out."  
  
Daniel nodded, reaching for his crutch.  
  
Window lights were going out all along the street, and the fluorescent diner sign lit up their faces with green and blue hues.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow then. Get some rest Daniel. What are you looking at?"  
  
"You," he muttered, eyes meeting hers. "You look beautiful."  
  
She smiled. "Are you sure you'll be alright? No more fainting?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Goodnight then." She leaned in, hesitating for an instant before pressing a kiss to his lips. He tensed, before relaxing into it.  
  
It was supposed to be quick. It wasn't even a date yet, after all; but Daniel leaned in further, curling an arm around her waist and leaning heavily on his crutch. When they broke away he had lipstick smudged on his face, and he stared at her, grinning wildly. She wiped it off with her handkerchief. "Well you definitely have nothing to prove in that area," she whispered. "Till tomorrow Sousa."  
  
"Till tomorrow Carter."

**Author's Note:**

> If you're a Peggysous fan let me know. I do intend to balance this fic out with some Cartinelli.


End file.
